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Are you joyful?  If you are a believer you must keep rejoicing.

The story is told of a man inviting people into a Christian meeting for down and outs.  He accosted one man on the street and said, "Would you like to come to our meeting?"  The reply came, "No thanks, mate, I've got enough troubles of my own".  How easy to be a bad advertisement for the faith.

To be joyful is not the same as going about the place with a big grin on your face, but it is vital for the Christian to hear this command, "Be joyful always".  It is a point that Paul makes in other places too.  For example, Philippians 4:4 reads, "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!"  One of the great characteristics of New Testament Christians was their great joy.  It amazed the pagan world.  That joy should show itself in our meetings and in our lives.

It is the duty of the Christian not just to be joyful sometimes but at all times.  Most people can be happy when everything is going right, but the Christian is to be joyful even when things are going wrong.

It is clear from the very instruction that joy is something different to happiness.  Paul does not say, "Always be happy".  That would be a foolish thing to say.  How could anyone be happy when his closest friend has died or, apparently in his prime, he's just heard that he has six months to live?  How can you be happy when you are persecuted and despised?  To be happy about such things would be a form of madness.

Joy, however, is something different.  Happiness can be quite superficial.  You can be happy one moment and sad the next.  But joy is something that is deep rooted and not easily destroyed.  It is greater than mere earthly joy.  Psalm 4:7 says, "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound."  It involves the emotions, but is more a matter of thinking and choosing with the mind.  Unlike superficial earthly happiness it is often not easy to express in words.  It is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and once it is implanted in a believer's heart nothing can completely destroy it.

Joy may ebb and flow - there are various degrees of joy - but it is never entirely lost if a person is a true believer:

• The Christian can be joyful always because he knows that God is in control of all things and is working everything together for his own glory and the good of his people.  He can't always see that, of course, and so he needs to be exhorted to rejoice.
• The Christian can be joyful because he has heard the good news of great joy that Jesus has come to save his people.  He rejoices in that.  Sometimes, however, he becomes discouraged and lacks joy.  With David he prays, "Restore to me the joy of my salvation."
• The Christian is filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy because he is receiving the goal of his faith, the salvation of his soul.  1 Peter 1:8,9 says, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

The key here is a matter of perspective.  It is a matter of seeing with the eye of faith.  We need to fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but on what is unseen; not on what is temporary, but in what is everlasting.  That is how Paul was able to tell the Colossians that he rejoiced in what he had suffered, including being shut up in prison.  He was thinking not of what he had suffered, but of the way it had enabled him to help the Colossians.

There is something similar in Acts 5:41 where after being flogged for preaching God's word the apostles were able to rejoice because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.  They rejoiced not that they suffered, but that they were worthy of suffering for God's name.

There is a paradox here.  In 2 Corinthians 6:10 Paul speaks of himself as being "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing".  In 7:4 he says, "In all our troubles my joy knows no bounds."  Now that is the sort of level that we should be aiming at.  The apostle knew more troubles than any of us, more than all of us put together perhaps, but he went on rejoicing in Christ.  Nothing could ultimately dampen his spirits - not because he was an optimist or a positive thinker but because he was determined to rejoice in the Lord.  We ought to seek to be like him.  We should be (in Luther's words) a living doxology, or (in Augustine's) a hallelujah from head to foot.  Without joy in our lives we will never be what we ought to be in Christ.

So let's reduce this to some simple guidelines

1. The Christian may not always be happy, but he always has reason to be joyful.  "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit ... Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.  Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!"  (Psalm 32:1-2, 10-11).  Stephen Charnock, one of the puritans, said, "There may be joy in God when there is little joy from God."
2. It is the duty of every Christian in every situation to be joyful.  Remember Jesus's own words (Matthew 5:11-12), "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because off me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven ..."  Joy should be a flag flown high from the castles of our hearts to show that the king is in residence there.
3. Sometimes it will be difficult to rejoice but we must always endeavour to be joyful.  Writing to the Romans, Paul says (5:2-3) that believers rejoice not simply in the hope of the glory of God but also in their sufferings, as they know this leads to perseverance and character and hope.  Our joy is to be like a light shining in the dark.  One way we can help ourselves here is by spending time with those believers who really know how to rejoice.  Joy (and sorrow) can be contagious.
4. We do not rejoice in suffering or trouble.  Rather we rejoice despite those things.  Our rejoicing will often be paradoxical.  We are to rejoice, Peter says (1 Peter 4:13), that we "participate in the sufferings of Christ".  We are to see all our troubles in this light.  Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
5. Joy varies in strength.  It will only be perfect in heaven.  Paul speaks about his joy being greater than ever on hearing good news from Corinth (2 Corinthians 7:7).  We will not be equally joyful at all times, yet we must always endeavour to be joyful to at least some extent.  He speaks of meeting the Philippians and so causing their joy in Christ to overflow (Philippians 1:26).  He prays that God will fill the Romans with all joy and peace (15:13).  Both these marks suggest an increase of joy.
6. Today, we must let joy enter into us; but one day we will enter into joy.  It is the prospect of the joy of heaven that enables us to rejoice here on earth.  Jesus was able to endure on the cross by contemplating the joy that lay ahead.  We need a similar perspective.

Are you always joyful?  If not, what's wrong?  It could be that you've never come to faith in Christ or that you have no assurance that your sins are forgiven.  Once you find that, you will rejoice.  Before that comes, however, there can be much sorrow.  Look to Christ for forgiveness and you will rejoice.

Another possible problem is that you are living your life at a too superficial level.  We enjoyed being in Looe and Plymouth recently, seeing the boats in the harbours there.  Some are quite flimsy.  You wouldn't enjoy being in one out on the open sea in a storm.  How different to be in a submarine.  In that sort of vessel, it makes no difference what's happening on the surface.  There is a lesson for us I'm sure.

We may have many reasons to be sad.  We may know of those who are unwell and suffering.  We may be saying goodbye to dear friends.  There are other reasons for sorrow.  Such things are bound to make us sad.  However, as believers, we also rejoice.  Even though it is a burden to us in part we are joyful nevertheless.  We see God's hand in it all and we give him praise.

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